Lajja (film)

Lajja
Film poster
Directed byRajkumar Santoshi
Written by
  • Ranjit Kapoor
  • Rajkumar Santoshi (Dialogues)
Screenplay by
  • Ashok Rawat
  • Rajkumar Santoshi
Story by
  • Rajkumar Santoshi
  • Ram (uncredited)
Produced byRajkumar Santoshi
Starring
Narrated byBharat Shah
CinematographyMadhu Ambat
Edited byV. N. Mayekar
Music bySongs:
Anu Malik
Ilaiyaraaja
Background Score:
Ilaiyaraaja
Production
company
Santoshi Productions
Distributed byEros International (Worldwide)
Release date
  • 31 August 2001 (2001-08-31)
Running time
202 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹22 crore[1]
Box office₹34.29 crore[1]

Lajja (transl. Shame) is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film produced and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Based on the plight of women and feminism in India, the film satirizes the honor with which women are placed in society and the restrictions imposed on them. The fact that the names of four women (Maithili, Janki, Ramdulaari, and Vaidehi) are all versions of Sita, the ideal Hindu woman's name, is a message in itself. It features Manisha Koirala in the lead role as Vaidehi, the mistreated woman, while an ensemble cast of Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Ajay Devgn, Jackie Shroff, Mahima Chaudhry, Johnny Lever, Suresh Oberoi, Sharman Joshi, Danny Dengzongpa, Razak Khan, Gulshan Grover and Aarti Chhabria appear in supporting roles.[2]

Lajja failed commercially in India[3] but was a major commercial success overseas.[4] It received mixed reviews with criticism for story and screenplay, but the performances from the lead actors were highly praised.

At the 47th Filmfare Awards, Lajja was nominated for 3 awards – Best Supporting Actor (Devgn) and Best Supporting Actress (for both Rekha and Dixit). At the 2002 Zee Cine Awards, it won Best Supporting Actress (Dixit).

  1. ^ a b "Lajja – Movie". Box Office India.
  2. ^ Lajja (2001) - IMDb, retrieved 5 August 2021
  3. ^ "Box Office 2001". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  4. ^ Arthur J Pais (8 September 2001). "Lajja's a hit overseas". Rediff. Retrieved 1 July 2011.